Some of the Lovely Homes Near Us

I love driving around our beautiful county, and drinking in the bucolic sights. Or, as they say, I [heart] NY! [As much as the kids try to teach me how to make that heart symbol, it always comes out >3 for me!!] As much as I love France, I have to say that our little neck of the woods is just about as scenic as anything I've ever seen abroad. [ Ok. So France is pretty much equal.] Or at least it suits our aesthetic. I especially love the cozy little farms, with smoke curling from the chimneys, and animals hanging out in the barnyard or in the pasture. I've started photographing these country places and making prints to give to the inhabitants. It's a wonderful way to meet the neighbors!

November's Golden Glow

Getting in to the City

I was happy to finally get to the Big Apple a couple of times before Thanksgiving. I went to the Met to see the Vermeer show, which was wonderful, of course, and the gem in that show was "The Milkmaid", which I had failed to see in Amsterdam last winter. The next trip was with Dean to see the Christmas show at Radio City. You can certainly see why they call it a "Spectacular". The Rockettes take my breath away with their sheer perfection. We LOVE the 3-D sleighride with Santa through the streets of New York, but the best part of the show, every year, is the living Nativity scene, complete with sheep and a camel. It's hard to believe in this Humanistic age that they still read the story from Luke. Just about every one around us was crying at the end when the 3 Kings and shepherds lift their arms to Heaven, as everyone sings"Hark the Herald Angels Sing". After the show we walked around and looked at the amazing decorating of some of the stores. Unfortunately Bergdorf's wasn't up and ready yet, but Anthropologie was like a museum installation! I talked to one of the young artists putting finishing touches on a display, and learned that there is a design team for each store and once a month they brainstorm how to use recycled stuff to make art and then change all the decs in the store. Look what they can do with stttyrofoam cups!
After Anthro [ where I did buy a little something for Crickett]we moseied on over to McKenzie-Childs to check out their Christmas decor. Wild,whimsical and festive. Wouldn't want that look in my home necessarily, but I just love to look it every time I go to their store. And I must get more birch trees in the mudroom!

Scenes from McKenzie-Childs and Anthropologie

 

 

Bergdorf's Window---Not Quite Ready

 

A Look Back At Provence

Today I bought a few new books on France. We had seen Taschen's Paris at Anthropologie last week and fallen in love with it. Great big photos of so many places that we recognize. I also got a wonderful Provencal cookbook, "Provence The Beautiful",which I had seen at Jill's house. The recipes look good, but, of course, it's the photos that always hook me. Here are a few of the photos from my art workshop in Provence with The Georgi Girls in September 2008.

A window in Bonnieux

The gardens at La Louve, now owned by Judy Pillsbury, and only open two days a year. We were there on one of the days! http://www.recreatingeden.com/index.php?pid=8&season=04&episode=41

A door in Gordes

The Abbaye ouside of Gordes

The Approach to Bonnieux

Bonnieux

This darling old man was celebrating his 90th birthday the day we landed in Bonnieux. He invited Holly and I in to his house to show us his view...

...which was spectacular! It's the very top picture. I'm not good at this blogging thing, and I couldn't make it appear HERE!

Anyway, I chose this area because it was the same place where one of my favorite movies "A Good Year" was filmed. Oh, I know, it's a chickflick, but such a delicious one, and one I watch it over and over, just for the scenery and the music, and well, let's admit it, the romance! I learned to love Russell Crowe in this, as well as the beautiful Marion Cotillard, and I just love the music, as well. This section of the Luberon is the most lovely in Provence...or so we gals believe. Not too far from Aix-en-Provence, and very near the chic town of Gordes [where Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott both have villas]

I plan to lead another Digital Photography workshop here next spring. so contact me if you're interested!

Laundry in Aix

L'Abbaye de la Senanque

Aux Dames de France

I'm so proud of my daughter. She did her first Shoot for the Troops today. This is her own idea of how to support those service people who are going to be deployed soon. She and her friend Irene photographed 35 families today, and tomorrow they'll do more than that. Each family will receive an 8X10. She would like to get photographers from all over the country to pick up on this idea.

The photo compo above reminds me of my daughter, a true "dame de france." I photographed the bike and hallway somewhere in the 6eme, I think.  I need to take better notes!